Michael Geist: the Canadian lawyer you should follow

Canadian lawyer, Michael Geist, is someone you should pay attention to if you are even remotely concerned about copyright. The reason why this copyright lawyer is so important is that he was one of the main people who exposed the inappropriately named Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (commonly known as “ACTA”) to the world despite its architect’s best efforts to keep such a disturbing process under wraps.

ACTA is an attempt by Big Media (the music and film industries) to manipulate international law to protect what are arguably outmoded business models under the pretense of attacking what is often inaccurately described as rampant content piracy and theft. Early ACTA drafts included draconian provisions that could, for example, have led to citizens losing Internet access if they were suspected of infringing copyright on three occasions. These negotiations were conducted in secret and were shielded from public comment until people like Geist exposed them. This video is a recent episode of Triangulation and is well worth watching.